Komatsu Komtrax monitoring system hits 10,000 machines

Brian Johnstone of Civil Construction Hire with one of his Komatsu earthmovers

Brian Johnstone of Civil Construction Hire with one of his Komatsu earthmovers

Komatsu now has its Komtrax remote monitoring system installed in 10,000 earthmovers across Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia.

The magic five-figure mark has ticked over with the delivery of a Komatsu PC55MR-3 excavator to Brian Johnstone of Civil Construction Hire in New South Wales.

Developed in late 2008, Komtrax is used for fleet management, keeping tabs on machine location and performance, monitoring work and security.

"The amount of time, inconvenience and cost avoided through Komtrax’s ability to provide early warning on potential issues or unsafe use, as well as alerting customers and Komatsu support technicians to upcoming service requirements is immeasurable," Komatsu says.

"In addition, a large proportion of Komatsu equipment that criminals have stolen from jobsites and private premises nationwide has been recovered at a strike rate of 72 percent – well above the 38 percent industry average for recovery of stolen equipment."

Brian Johnstone’s Civil Construction Hire supplies equipment, advice and professional services to a number of construction projects throughout southern NSW.

In just four years the company has gone from operating a single excavator to nearly 50.

"We’re just a small company trying to service a particular marketplace. We think we do a good job," Johnstone says.

"We’re pretty proud we’ve got a fleet of Komatsu machines and that we have grabbed that 10,000th Komtrax-equipped unit. It’s terrific for us."

He says that Komtrax is essential as it allows the team to keep track of where the equipment is, first and foremost.

"Komtrax also helps us gauge the hours worked and when machines are due for maintenance and service, and also helps our customers keep track of how many working hours they are getting out of the machine so they can measure their productivity accordingly.

"I access Komtrax through my mobile phone app and my office computer," Johnstone says. "Within a few seconds you can grab the individual unit you’re looking for and download a report."